Archives For Stand-Up Comedy

I used to love the idea of New Year Resolutions. It was a time to imagine all the good things I would be doing for myself and how awesome I would look or be by the end of the year. I can’t think of any resolutions I actually achieved. So that is why this year I’m working on only ONE resolution for the year which is – after each comedy open mic or show I’m going to make myself listen to my recorded set by the next day.

It’s super hard to listen to an open mic set. The idea is to work on new material or tighten up older material. New material brings lots of chances to bomb. Although bombing is what you should do. Or at the very least – not be afraid to bomb. A lot easier said then done. I have yet to learn to bomb gracefully. I know I need a thicker skin – I’ve heard that all my life. Although I like to think I have developed a tougher attitude – kind of.

So tonight I hosted my very first Laughing Buddha Comedyopen mic at the Village Lantern. It was a lot of fun and it was a lot of work which surprised me. I had to pay attention to other things other than myself, my drink and my constant opinions and insecurities racing through my head.

There are a number of things that go into hosting a Laughing Buddha Comedy that look easier than they are. For starters keeping my eye on the stop watch so I can signal the comic that he or she has one minute left to wrap up their set. Then at 4:15 I’d stand up by the door for maybe 5 seconds before I walk towards the stage. It sucks to stop someone in the middle of their joke but blowing the light is a big No-No in comedy so really this is helping comics to learn to wrap it up with a quicker joke and not start a longer one.

This may sound silly now and hopefully even sillier a month from now. But I found it difficult to smoothly pull out two names from the bucket and then easily introduce the comic from the previous drawing. Not to mention pronouncing the name right. Even when Delance Minefee the first host tonight would give me the correct pronunciation I’d forget it because I was nervous. Of course like most people when I’m nervous I forget what I’m afraid of forgetting.

Open mics, Open mics, Open mics….That’s what I’ve been up to – or so it seems to me. I’ve been going to 4 open mics a week. Which I’m very proud about since as I’ve said before I used to hate hate hate them. Some days it feels like it’s getting easier or I’m getting more comfortable and other days it’s back to the drawing board.

The last two mics I did weren’t great – they were actually pretty neurotic. What I mean is that when I listen to my tape it sounds so similar to what I write in my journal. I’m commenting on everything. Writing “oh that was a nutty thought. Where did that come from?” On stage I’m saying “I’m not sure why I just said that but don’t worry I’m fine.”

At first I was like WTF how do I stop this and then wondered maybe I can go with it somehow. Use this random stream of consciousness in my act. So for Thursday’s open mic at Iggys’s that Laughing Buddha Comedy runs. I’m going to sit and write in my journal and just read the words into the mic. Let’s see where it goes. Maybe there is something there. I’ll try it anyway. That’s what open micsare for. I’ll be pretty nervous I’m sure but I have to work my way through this self commentary and see where it might go.

When my Open Mics at the Laughing Buddha Comedy don’t go so well – I think about this – from the Master Ira Glass. The more time I get under my belt – the better I will become in time. It’s a process. Say that again… It’s a process.